Recognition
of Food Allergy
It's not
as widespread in Turkey as they are
in the USA and perhaps Europe (which
is not saying much, as most Ameicans
and Europeans are not well informed
of the danger and possible life-threatening
severity of some food allergies).
If anaphylaxis is
a danger, you should consider
taking Epi-pens (epinephrine
self-injector syringes) with you—but
you probably already do that. I don't
know if they are available in Turkey.
I don't anticipate that you'd have
any problems getting them through Turkish
customs inspection. More...
Food Labeling
Most Turkish packaged foods are
adequately labeled because of export
requirements. The labels
may be in Turkish only, or in several languages. If
you familiarize yourself with the Turkish words for
the substances that can cause an allergic
reaction
(gluten, lamb, milk
and milk products,
nuts,
etc), the labels will be a help.
Turkish manufacturing
may not have yet reached
the labelling sophistication of US manufacturers,
however. I don't recall seeing anything in Turkey resembling
the familiar "Processed in a factory that
also
processes nuts" type of label.
Also, I don't know
how careful Turkish manufacturers are about possible
cross-contamination of
one food product with bits of another.
Medical Care
Turkey
has many highly
qualified doctors and nurses, but of course it's
impossible to say who might attend in an allergic-reaction
crisis situation, or what
their qualifications might be.
Food & Medical Terms
Learn the relevant Turkish
words for the foods and
substances that can cause an
allergic reaction, the medicines to
treat it, etc. in your particular situation
so you'll be able to help medical
personnel in an emergency.
Many Turkish
medical terms are
borrowed from English or French (such
as alerji, pronounced
ah-lehr-ZHEE), so you may only have to learn a
slightly different pronunciation.
American Hospital in Istanbul
The
Amerikan
Hastanesi (American
Admiral Bristol
Hospital) in Nişantaşı, Istanbul, has lots
of English-speaking
staff (and perhaps a few Americans). They may
be a
good contact for your further questions.
—by Tom Brosnahan
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